LEONARD SLATKIN AND THE DSO WILL PERFORM BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY AND JOHN CORIGLIANIO’S MR. TAMBOURINE MAN SONG CYCLE, INSPIRED BY THE LYRICS OF BOB DYLAN
May 18-21 concerts will be Maestro Slatkin’s final subscription program of 2016-2017 Season
Detroit, (May 8, 2017) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will perform two unforgettable works in a weekend of concerts conducted by Music Director Leonard Slatkin: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, including the famed “Ode to Joy” last movement, and John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man song cycle, inspired by the lyrics of Nobel Prize-winning musician and poet Bob Dylan.
The concerts will take place Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, May 21 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, within Midtown Detroit’s Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
These will mark Maestro Slatkin’s final subscription series performances of the 2016-2017 Season, though he will return on June 6 for a special concert held in conjunction with the League of American Orchestras national conference to take place in Detroit from June 6-8.
Both works on the May 18-21 program were composed in part by adapting written poetry. The well-known final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is inspired by and quotes Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy,” and Mr. Tambourine Man uses the lyrics of several Bob Dylan songs to create music quite different from the Dylan originals.
Soprano Hila Plitmann returns to the DSO as featured soloist for Mr. Tambourine Man. The UMS Choral Union and soprano Rachelle Durkin, mezzo soprano Abigail Nims, tenor Sean Panikkar, and bass Peixin Chen will perform alongside the DSO for Beethoven’s Ninth.
The Friday evening performance will be webcast for free via the DSO’s Live from Orchestra Hall series, presented by the Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. DSO fans can view the webcasts anywhere, on any device, at dso.org/live.
These Classical Series performances are generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals.
Music Director Leonard Slatkin.
About Leonard Slatkin
Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL). He also maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting and is active as a composer, author, and educator.
During the 2016-17 season—in addition to his regular duties in Detroit and Lyon—he will return to Pittsburgh and St. Louis, tour the U.S. and Europe with the ONL, conduct overseas with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Verdi Orchestra in Milan, and San Carlo Theatre Orchestra in Naples, and serve as chairman of the jury and conductor of the 2017 Cliburn Competition.
Slatkin’s more than 100 recordings have garnered seven Grammy awards and 64 nominations. His recent Naxos recordings include works by Saint-Saëns, Ravel, and Berlioz (with the ONL) and music by Copland, Rachmaninov, Borzova, McTee, and John Williams (with the DSO). In addition, he has recorded the complete Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky symphonies with the DSO (available online as digital downloads).
A recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, Slatkin also holds the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor. He has received Austria’s Decoration of Honor in Silver, the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton Award, and the 2013 ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award for his book, Conducting Business.
Slatkin has conducted virtually all of the leading orchestras in the world. As Music Director, he has held posts with the New Orleans, St. Louis, and National symphony orchestras, and he was Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He has served as Principal Guest Conductor of London’s Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Ticket Information
Tickets for Beethoven’s Ninth begin at $15 and can be purchased at dso.org, by calling (313) 576-5111, or in person at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center (3711 Woodward Avenue, Detroit).
Groups of 10 or more can save up to 30% on the price of a single ticket for most DSO concerts. For more information, contact Group Sales Manager Jim Sabatella at (313) 576-5130 or [email protected].
Performance
Beethoven’s Ninth
Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Hila Plitmann, soprano
Rachelle Durkin, soprano
Abigail Nims, mezzo soprano
Sean Panikkar, tenor
Peixin Chen, bass
UMS Choral Union
Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall
Friday, May 19 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall
Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall
Sunday, May 121 at 3 p.m. at Orchestra Hall
JOHN CORIGLIANO
Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan
Prelude: Mr. Tambourine Man
Clothes Line
Blowin’ in the Wind
Masters of War
All Along the Watchtower
Chimes of Freedom
Postlude: Forever Young
Hila Plitmann, soprano
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, “Choral”
Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
Molto vivace
Adagio molto e cantabile
Presto – Allegro assai – Allegro assai vivace
Rachelle Durkin, soprano
Abigail Nims, mezzo soprano
Sean Panikkar, tenor
Peixin Chen, bass
UMS Choral Union
About the DSO
Hailed by The New York Times as “cutting edge,” the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and an ardent commitment to Detroit. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called “America’s Music Director” by the Los Angeles Times, became the DSO’s 12th Music Director, endowed by the Kresge Foundation, in 2008. Acclaimed conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik serves as Principal Pops Conductor, while celebrated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the Detroit community, the DSO’s performance schedule includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s, and Neighborhood concerts, and collaborations with high profile artists from Steven Spielberg to Ben Folds and Lang Lang. The DSO recently announced its 2017 Asia Tour, the orchestra’s first-ever tour of China and their first of Japan in 19 years. A commitment to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast, and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which also reaches tens of thousands of children with the Classroom Edition expansion. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.
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